Forged

Yesterday I was at a local coffee shop when I wrote the post. As I left a thought entered my mind. One piece of advice a pastor gave me years ago was don't put everything you know into one sermon. I think the same can be said about blog posts. The katana is an incredible image that has so many implications. Yesterday the focus was on being the katana, not the swordsmith or the Samurai, but the object that is nonexistent without the prior, and a useless dust collector without the later. Without God I am nothing.

Driving from the coffee shop to an appointment, the idea of forging came to my mind. I feel like I tend to see life as a process where the forging ends at some point and God then begins to wield the sword in battle, but the more I think about it, I'm not sure if that's correct. What if, (this is a thought, not a declarative statement) what if this life is merely the forging process, and the katana of our life is only completed at death? This thought challenges how we would see life and eternity. And if this is accurate, it puts the focus on the eternal.

I think that our understanding of heaven is off. We do not become angels when we die, and I do not believe that it will be sitting on clouds, playing harps and singing non-stop for eternity. It honestly sounds really boring, but what if there is more to heaven than that? One of my college professors said that Genesis 1 is as much creation as it is eschatology (end times study). God set the world in motion and it was perfect, exactly as He created it to be. Man sinned, and God began the process of restoration to bring everything back to the state of perfection. In the beginning, Adam had a job to do, "God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" (Genesis 1.28) Adam was a caregiver who tended to creation, enjoyed fellowship with, and offered worship to, God, and lived in paradise.

Again, this is a thought, but what if the purpose of this life is simply to forge the sword and at death it is offered to God for Him to really use? I am not saying that God does not use us here on earth, the Bible clearly shows that God has instructed us to make disciples and proclaim His Kingdom. But it is crucial that we never become complacent and stop growing. The same professor quoted Wesley, "There is no standing still on the Christian journey. You are pressing forward or sliding backwards." I think that life is a process that is preparing us for eternity and all that God has in store then.

Philippians 1.6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3.12-14, " Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

John 16.33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."

God is at work in us, working to perfect us until the day of Christ. We have not obtained the goal, or been made perfect, so we are to press on toward the goal of Christlikeness. There will be troubles and hardships we face, but Christ has overcome the world. Because of this the trials we encounter serve a purpose. They exist to transform us into Christlikeness by cleansing us of sin and forming us into His image. With Christ, the trials produce the traits and characteristics of God, making us fit for His presence and service. All things work together for the highest good of those who love God, which is becoming like Christ, and that results in glorification.

God is at work in us to mold us into men who are fit to enter His presence and worship and serve Him for eternity. This life is the forge, were we are heated, beaten, cleansed, and shaped to be who God created us to be. The trials we endure, the service we offer to God, are all part of this process. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13.12, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." The best is yet to come. There will be a time when the forging is finished. There will come a time when the katana is finished, sharpened, polished, and handed to the Samurai. But I do not believe it is on this side of eternity.

I am guilty of being too focused on the temporal, and not on the eternal. I get focused on the hardships and lose sight of the end goal of the process and the result. Heaven is not the goal, Christlikeness is. Heaven is the result of becoming like Christ. When we are focused on the eternal, the trials and hardships become not only bearable, but meaningful. Losing sight of the goal has caused my life to look less like Jesus. I have not treated others as Christ would. I have not loved as Christ does. I have claimed to love Jesus, but haven't lived it. I haven't been focused on eternity, and have let the temporal rule me.

I want to live focused on eternity. I want everything I do to mold me more into the image of Christ. I have not done a good job of this recently. I have been distracted by the here and now, focusing on what I want to accomplish in this life, and not on what God wants to accomplish in me to prepare me for eternity. I want to be forged, and whenever God is done, to enter His presence ready for whatever service He has for me.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

The Katana

Back in September I was over at my parent's house. I was half asleep down in the basement around 11:30 PM when one of the windows in the kitchen slid open setting off the alarm. At that point I was awake. And for the next four or five hours I couldn't fall asleep. There had been something on my mind for a few days leading up to that moment, so I decided to make good use of my time. I got on YouTube and found a video on how they make traditional Japanese katanas.

The Samurai katana is without question, the greatest sword ever made, and the process of making this incredible weapon is amazing. It begins with an iron sand that is heated to 1,000 degrees in a earthen furnace for three days to form a steel called tamahagane. The best pieces of this steel are selected and then sent to a master swordsmith to begin the forging process. The steel is further evaluated and the best pieces are selected for the blade. harder pieces are used for the edge, while softer pieces make up the core of the blade.

Pieces of steel are piled, heated, beaten together, and then folded more than a dozen times to make them one uniform piece of metal. The core is inserted into the edge, and then the joined pieces are pounded to the proper length, thickness, and shape of the sword. At this point a clay mixture is applied to the blade, thicker on the back and thinner on the cutting edge. The sword is again heated, and then placed in water to cool. The thinner clay on the edge cools faster, making the edge hard and strong, while the clay on the back cools slower, making it softer and more flexible to be able to absorb vibrations better during combat. This cooling process also causes the steel to bow giving the sword its shape.

Next the blade is sharpened and sent off for polishing. The handle is made and attached, the scabbard is assembled, and the sword is ready to be in the hands of a Samurai. The process takes months; heating, pounding, shaping. The forging process serves to remove impurities from the steel, and results in a weapon that is almost unbreakable. The shape of the blade's cutting edge makes it so that the sword almost never needs to be resharpened. The perfect weapon, made by masters, and entrusted to the use of a warrior. It's an amazing thing.

I'm a guy. I love stuff like this. Look at the bottom right of this page, and you'll see a picture of the Spartan phalanx. I love movies like Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Patriot, and anything else with a valiant warrior standing firm against evil. The thought of an epic battle, standing firm for what is right, being willing to die for a just cause, calls to something in my soul. Part of me wishes I would have tried to be a Navy SEAL. I want to be a hero. I want to save the day. I want to be the Spartan standing firm with his brothers. I want to be the Samurai wielding his katana with skill and precision. But I'm starting to wonder if that is my place.

Almost a year ago I began working on what will hopefully become a published book. I read something in the Bible that got me thinking, and led to some other investigations. For almost a year now I've been studying, putting ideas together, and ultimately living the subject matter. It deals with spiritual warfare, the enemy, and doing battle with him. Originally it involved men as the hero of our story, standing courageously against the devil, and conquering him because of Christ. Now, I'm starting to see things differently. I am not the hero. I am not the valiant warrior that the devil fears. I am not the Samurai, and I'm not even the swordsmith. I'm the katana.

Ephesians 2.8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Philippians 2.13, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

We are God's workmanship, He is the swordsmith. He is working to forge us into a weapon He can use to build His Kingdom. It is through His grace, and because of His love, that we face trials. We are heated to burn away the impurities. We are pounded to shape us into the image of Christ. God is at work in us to make us fit and useful for His service. We do not make ourselves fit for God.

Ephesians 6.10, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might."

James 4.7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

1 Peter 5.6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."

We are the sword in God's hands, He is the Samurai. God is the one who fights. God is the one who wields the weapon and wins the victory. It is God who gives us strength because of His might. It is through submission to God that the makes the devil flee. It is through humility before God, casting our cares on Him, that allows us to receive His victory. It is God who causes all things to work together for good. We do not win victory. We do not defeat the devil, God does.

The praise for crafting an incredible weapon belongs to God. The honor of victory belongs to God. The sword exists to praise the maker and glorify the victor. Without them the sword would not exist or be of any use.

I am not the swordsmith, I am not the Samurai. I do not deserve any credit for who I am, or any praise for anything I achieve. All of that belongs to God. For a decade I have been striving to play God's part. I have been trying to make myself pleasing and useful to Him. I have been trying to accomplish victory for Him. It hasn't worked, and part of me wonders if I have hindered what God could have accomplished.

Right now I am in the forging process, and in all honesty I feel that this process lasts a lifetime. God is constantly at work, molding us into the image of Christ. I've been frustrated with how long this is taking, and at the very least weekly (often daily) I wish God would just hurry up and get this process over with. I have to constantly remind myself that we're after a traditional katana. During World War II, Japanese soldiers carried katanas into battle. They were needed quickly, and there was no way to craft them the proper way. They began to be mass produced using poured steel, and they were greatly inferior. I don't want to be a mass produced, cheap imitation. I want to be a unique, hand crafted, quality weapon in the hands of God.

This process is not easy, and it really isn't that enjoyable, but the end result is more than worth it. I want God to forge me, and I want Him to be glorified by who He has made me. I want Him to use me however He sees fit. I want Him to be honored for everything that happens in my life. I don't want to take the swordsmith's praise, I don't want to take the Samurai's honor. I don't want to play the part that is not mine to play. I simply want to take my place as the katana.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE_4zHNcieM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwWf-MfZVk